


Foes and Spies

by NovaCaelum



Series: Espionage [2]
Category: Black Sails
Genre: Alternate Universe, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, M/M, Minor Violence, Spies & Secret Agents, au: modern
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-28
Updated: 2018-07-27
Packaged: 2019-04-28 20:47:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14457441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NovaCaelum/pseuds/NovaCaelum
Summary: Local police turn to British Intelligence to help with the mobs.





	1. Arise

**Author's Note:**

> Surprise! Strangers and Assassin's isn't quite finished yet.
> 
> There is a couple of months between the end of that and the beginning of this. I'm using this as a "new story" for the characters, so now they have to deal with the police and MI6 on their tails.
> 
> The first chapter is somewhat of a "Prologue" to set things up and make clear what's happening going forward. Hope you enjoy!

The police were struggling to keep the rising situation under control, they had to call extra help in from the British intelligence agency, and now they had more manpower to try and deal with the unruly mobs. Two grainy pictures hung on a board, the names Flint and Rackham under each one, it wasn't going to be an easy task. But they had the best people helping; one of the greatest MI6 agents, someone who had previously helped to dismantle mobs in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Surely if anyone could deal with this situation then it was this guy.

He was expected to show up at their headquarters soon, so they could start making a plan for dealing with the mob. Some extra information had come in from local forces saying that it seemed like Flint and Rackham were beginning to work together; which was bound to be more of a problem. Noise began to stir in the building, the police captain, Liam looked to see a small group of agents flooding in, he made his way past his men and smiled, "Thank you for coming to help with this situation. Two of the mob bosses have started working together. We have men out right now gathering more information. I'm Captain Liam Jones. It's a pleasure."

"I'm Agent Thomas Hamilton," The man at the front of the group held out his hand; Liam assumed he must be the leader...Probably the man who had done all the work in Scotland and Northern Ireland, "What you've got is a good start. Where are you set up?"

"This way," Liam led the Agent to the office where all the current information they had was laid out, "Unfortunately, we've only managed to get CCTV footage of the men we've been chasing so it's not perfect quality. They're both very careful about letting people see them."

Agent Hamilton nodded, looking over the papers on the table, basic information about where Flint had been seen coming and going from; same for Rackham and then where the two crossed paths with each other. Thomas turned to look at the pictures on the board and his jaw nearly dropped; he managed to hold himself, that picture was definitely James McGraw. Thomas would regonise James at any moment. He had been the love of his life before his father tore him away.

"Captain Jones. We've got some more pictures of Flint, they're a bit better quality too."

"That's great, thanks Detective Ward," Liam approached Agent Hamilton and handed over the pictures, "It's a decent start, Agent."

"Thomas is fine," He took the pictures and looked through them; his heart wrenched when he saw one of James together with another man. They were close, Thomas could tell, the other man looked like he was being protective of James. Thomas understood, it was all he ever wanted to do, but his father didn't take kindly to word of the affair and sent Thomas away, to train and be a better man. It had been over ten years, of course James was going to move on eventually, "Do we know who this other person is?"

"No. This is only the second sighting of him with Flint. He was spotted before talking to Vane when he was alive, seems like it's true about Flint and Rackham. Rackham took over Vane's mob after his death, so if this mystery man has been working for them both then it could only be true."

"I saw that Rackham and Flint had crossed paths," Saying the name _Flint_ felt foreign to him, this was **his** \--no, not anymore, but it was James not Flint, "We can safely say it wasn't a conincidence if this man ties them together. He seems very close to Flint."

Liam nodded, "From what intel we could gather, Flint's second in command is known as Mr. Bones, and we do have some information for him. I'll get it to you, but I don't think it's this guy in the pictures."

"A new player then?" Thomas placed the pictures down on the table, he couldn't look at James with someone else for any longer, "If works for whoever offers him the most money, Vane, Flint...We might be able to get to him."

"I'll see what other information we can get on him, it's a good focal point for now. If we can break just one person, we could bring it all down." Thomas nodded, he looked back up at the board; he felt so lost staring at James and not being with him or hearing his voice. He pushed the feeling back, James had moved on and now he had a job to do.

\- - - -

"The police think they're smart, bringing in MI6. But we have our own spies too."

John looked up at James, "You're thinking about that _now_?"

"Our spy had to give them some good pictures and there's one of us together. I thought you should know, they might come after you."

"I can handle myself," John rolled his eyes, "Now will you focus on the more important things at hand? You've got a meeting with Ben and Billy later to talk about all this crap."

James smiled, "So you want my undivided attention?"

"It would be nice when I'm trying to suck your cock."

"Hm, put that dirty mouth to use then Mr. Silver," James grabbed at John's hair, pushing him back down. John didn't mind, he loved when James reached for him; he ran his tongue up the length of James' cock and took the tip into his mouth, bobbing his head and flicking his tongue against the frenulum, "God, I love when you do that."

James' head pressed back against the pillow, his grip on John's hair tightening as the pleasure rushed through his body. John wanted to retort, but he couldn't even think about pulling away at a time like this, he needed to hear and feel James unravel beneath him. He continued to bob his head, using his tongue to run along the underside of James' length.

John had to hold back a grin when he heard James let out a groan; he loved being able to pleasure James like this. The next time he got back to the head, he decided to tease, running his tongue around before lapping at the frenulum, "You fucking tease," James groaned, tugging at John's hair, "Don't play--" John immediately took the entire length in his mouth, hollowing his cheeks with the movement, "Oh fuck,"

John hummed, the vibration brought out another groan from James; John found a steady rhythm for bobbing his head, still using his tongue against the underside of James' length. John brought his hand to James balls and began softly massaging them; James could already feel the climax building up, John knew exctly how to drive him over the edge, and quite quickly too.

James twisted John's hair in his fingers, his breath coming in gasps, if John kept up what he was doing with his mouth and tongue...He found some energy to look down, his body freezing when steel-blue eyes met his gaze, "You shit," He gasped, watching how John worked, his eyes not moving from James' face; it drove James further, he enjoyed watching John and it seemed that John enjoyed watching him.

John moaned against James' cock, and James almost lost it, his head flew back again and he bucked, groaning loudly, "J-John, I'm gonna cum." John didn't miss a beat, he moved his head quicker, and when James released with another groan, he didn't waste a moment swallowing every drop. He lapped up the rest, watching James twitch at the contact.

"See, isnt it nicer when you notice me?"

James let out a breathless chuckle, he untangled his fingers from John's hair; John moved, pressing himself into James' side, "I suppose it's not the worst thing. How long do I have?"

"Not long enough to return the favour. Get a shower, you're gross." John killed James anyway, he didn't care about being left. James had something important to deal with, and it gave him a chance to be helpful.

"Thanks," James rolled his eyes then pushed himself from the bed; he could feel John's eyes roaming his body and he smiled, "Don't you see me naked enough to stop staring?"

"No," John's answer was quick, James turned to him and placed a kiss on his forehead, "Shower. Then we need to leave. I'll get some clothes ready for you." James nodded then headed into the bathroom; John pulled himself from the bed and rifled through the drawers for some clothes for James to change into. He laid them out and smiled to himself; he never expected to get this close to James again.

Something had changed that day when James had followed him and they kissed on the roof; there was forgiveness there, even if it was only half-hearted, John knew it would be the best he'd get. John hadn't even guessed that much would happen, James had even been kinder after the recovery, he wondered if Billy had said something...It didn't matter right now, he needed to focus, they still had Thomas to deal with too.

~ ~ ~ ~

Ben felt uncomfortable, Billy didn't seem to mind, but every time James spoke about what they would do, he couldn't help but notice how John was pretty much sat in James' lap. He understood what was between them, that wasn't the problem, it just felt a little unprofessional for the situation, "Our man on the inside doesn't have much more information for us," Ben was grateful to hear Billy speak, it dragged his attention away from James and John, "The Agent who's in charge showed up today. He did overhear that they want to get to John after seeing the picture of you two together. It seems they know about John having spoken with Vane."

"They think they can get me to join them?"

"Pretty much. But they shouldn't be able to get to you, not with David on our side. He can make sure the investigation into you doesn't go far. Though, with how much you're off the grid, I doubt they'll find anything. Not even I could."

John shrugged, "It comes with the job. I don't use my real name when people reach out to me on the dark web either. It should be impossible."

"Do we know anything about this Agent?"

"Not too much, we don't even have his name yet, David missed the introductions but he said he'l get back to me. All we know for sure is that this guy works _very_ well for MI6, he helped deal with other mobs before. David is going to put a report together for us by the end of the week, so hopefully we should know more."

James smiled, "Good. Is there any more information on _Thomas_?"

"Rackham has gave me every lead he could find, all the information that Vane had left for him to get in touch. There's not much to go on, seems he used a fake name when contacting them too," Ben shook his head, "We have one lead to follow up on, apparently there's a church he visits on occassion, so we can start there."

"Good, I'll leave that to you and Billy then. You're doing a good job Ben."

"Thank you."

"You're both dismissed then. Call or text if anything else comes up," Both Ben and Billy nodded then took their leave; James ran his hand along John's back, "You sure you'll be okay?"

John looked at James, a smirk playing on his lips, "You worried?" James furrowed his brows, clearly about to speak, "I'll be fine. If they do get to me, I **can** handle myself. It's the one thing that I'm utterly brilliant at."

"How modest." James chuckled. John smiled then leaned in for a kiss; he knew James wouldn't want him any other way. John knew it was his attitude that had drawn James in, so he didn't intend to change...Not one bit.


	2. The Chase

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John and James find out the MI6 Agent's true identity...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a little mean to John in this chapter.

John couldn't stop smiling when he heard the news that Ben and Billy had managed to track down the guy who shot Flint, he was hiding out in a low-rent motel; John knew how this game worked, he'd done himself a million times when he needed to get out of the country after a kill. He was waiting, laying low until things blew over; of course, he thought James was dead, they had a story spun, made sure Rackham had told "Thomas" that it was over and he could leave.

 _He had no idea_ ; John had practically begged James to let him go do this, so now, he was perched, waiting to see this guy appear. John rarely used long-range weapons, but he wasn't out of practice, he would never let something like this slip; and it would be easier. When the police found out about a murder like this, they qould have to follow it up and John was going to leave them some clues.

John practically licked his lips when "Thomas" finally emerged from his motel room, he forgot how much he enjoyed the thrill of killing someone; his preferred method was normally up-close and personal, but this was better than nothing. This was sweet revenge too. He took his aim, smiling to himself as he pulled the trigger; John watched as Thomas fell, people in the area running away from the body and John wished he could hear them screaming.

It wasn't the time for that now, he packed up the gun and quickly left, it wasn't quite time to get caught; John needed to draw out the MI6 agent, and their guy on the inside was going to help with making it happen if John's plan didn't work. James wanted to know more about the operation and John was willing to do anything to get that information.

\- - - -

"What?" Liam looked frustrated, Thomas couldn't help but notice and he wondered who was on the other end of the phone, "We'll come right over," He put the phone down, a little too violently and turned to Thomas, "There's been a shooting, looks like an assassination."

"Do you need a hand with that?"

Liam nodded, "The responding officers found evidence in his motel room linking him to Rackham."

"Understood." Thomas stood up, grabbed his coat and bag; then he and Liam left for the motel. When they arrived, the area was closed off and the body had been covered up; Thomas made his way into the room while Liam spoke to the responding officers too see if they had more information. He instantly found proof of the link to Rackham, laying on the bed was a note from Rackham, with instructions of how to collect his money for finishing Flint off--But that wasn't true, Flint was still alive and working _with_ Rackham, which meant it had been a set-up.

"We have no ID on this guy, have you found anything?"

"Look at this letter," Liam walked over to Thomas and read the letter over, "This was planned, we know that Flint is alive, but it sounds like this man had been hired to kill him."

Liam nodded, "Probably before Flint and Rackham teamed up. We do have a lead on where the shooter was," He handed over a decently-drawn map of the area, with a high-point circled, "It's the most logical place a sniper would wait. We can only assume, but one of Flint's or Rackham's men did this. Maybe they didn't want this man finding out that Flint was still alive."

"Can I go look at where this is? I've had past experience where snipers have killed someone, especially for a mob. And even if it has been planned out, they can get sloppy in the moment, I want to know if there's anything that could lead us to who did this."

"Of course, I'll get the forensic team in to see if we can get a lead on our victim." Thomas nodded, then left to go find the vantage spot that the shooter had used; he carefully looked around the scene, spotting a few clues that could help with getting a lead. He pulled out some markers from his bag and stuck them into the ground, he could ask the forensic team to come up here too, so they could collect samples.

Once Thomas had finished, he turned to go join Liam again and spotted a small piece of paper floating in the grass; it peaked his curiosity and without thinking, he picked it up, fiddling for a moment before opening it, _If this is the right agent then we can meet, but no police. If I get caught by Flint, I could be in trouble. I'm sure you can find somewhere discreet, text me the location._ Thomas rose a brow, but he pulled out his phone regardless and added the number, dubbing it _mystery assassin_ ; he wanted to know everything and whoever the shooter had been, they clearly weren't that loyal to Flint. He tucked the paper away in his coat and headed back down to the motel.

~ ~ ~ ~

When John got a text from an unknown number, with nothing but an address and time, he drinned; the bait had worked. John had told James about it and James figured it would be best to kill the agent if he wouldn't work with them. So John had picked a knife perfect enough to end it and headed to the location, he was a little early so he found a spot where he could hide and surprise this man.

John wasn't waiting long before the agent showed up, looking around to see any sign of the person he was supposed to be meeting and when his back was turned, John jumped out, placing the knife to his throat while his other hand grabbed the agent's gun, "I guessed you wouldn't come without a gun," John shook his head, "Mr. Flint wants you dead. Unless you want to join us."

"Why would I do that?" Thomas chuckled, he wasn't really surprised, he'd expected this man to do something; after all, he did work for a mob boss, "It's my job to stop you people and I intend to do that."

John held the knife tightly against the agents throat, "Then I guess you'll have to go--"

"You don't want to do this."

"Don't I?" He chuckled, wondering who the hell this guy thought he was, "You're causing too much trouble, if I don't do it, someone else will."

"I know James Flint," That made John raise a brow; if this guy knew James, why would he work for MI6? "It has been a long time, he's probably forgotten all about me. I took your bait, because I wanted to talk to you about him. He's clearly using you."

Now that made John laugh, "You don't know who I am. Not one bit, so I'll tell you, since you'll die anyway. I'm a hit-man, Vane contracted me to kill James. That didn't happen, I'm only loyal to James, he changed me. I wanted to do this, he trusts me to handle it--"

"If he knew who I was, I don't think he'd agree. My name is Thomas Hamilton, and if you kill me, he'll hate you forever. We were in love long before anyone else came into the picture. Just tell him to read Meditations and that McGraw would be disappointed in him."

John was surprised, he'd heard the name Thomas before; but McGraw was a new name and he wanted to know more before he ended this mans life, "Well, I suppose we'll see about that. Be careful, we have eyes on you. Nice meeting you." Before Thomas could answer, John was gone, he spun around and it was almost like he'd never been there.

~ ~ ~ ~

When John returned, James greeted him with a smile and a kiss, "Is he dead?"

"Not yet, he said I couldn't kill him, or you'd hate me."

James rose a brow, "That sounds very sure, did he give you any information?"

"Just his name," John sighed, he'd heard James mention Thomas before, the night after they first slept together--someone who he'd loved deeply and died, tearing James apart, "I don't know how much we can trust his word. He called himself Thomas Hamilton," James blinked, _it couldn't be possible_ , all reports said Thomas had died and Miranda had believed that much too, she grieved for him--they both did. It could be another lie, **but** , what if it wasn't? _His Thomas was alive?_ "Do you think it's true, James?"

"I don't know. I'd have to see him."

"Do you want it to be him?" That question struck James, he didn't know what would be easier to deal with, "He also told me to say you need to read Meditations and that McGraw would be disappointed. Whatever that means..."

James' heart practically jumped out of his chest; _it **was** Thomas_ , only Thomas and Miranda knew about that book. Knew what was written inside and his name, _God_...Thomas still knew how to get into his head, "It's him."

"How do you know?" Now John felt disappointed, he'd already came close to losing James once; he didn't want anyone to take James away, even if it made James the happiest person on Earth.

"James McGraw is my real name...Only Thomas and Miranda know. And, Mediations is a book, Thomas used to read it to me. Before his father found out about us, he wrote in the cover...No-one else could know that. Only Thomas Hamilton. _God_ , he won't know that Miranda is dead."

John's stomach dropped, _McGraw_ , he'd never heard that name before but now he would never forget it; it was James' real name, he never even knew that much...But Thomas, he knew _everything_ , the ins and outs of James' mind and probably much more that John had never been allowed to see. Because he was nothing more than a fuck, something to take those memories away, to distract James, "Maybe you should speak to him." He didn't know where those words came from, it was the sound of his voice and his mouth that had moved but it felt otherworldly.

"I just need to know what happened. We were told he died, we grieved him. His father and Peter, they lied."

"I'll go let Billy know, he'll want an update." John left the room, if he stayed another moment, he would break down; it already felt like everything was crashing down. James' face--he was shocked, but pleased and John hadn't missed that look in his eyes...Adoration, love, Thomas meant everything to James and John...He felt like an ant.


	3. Falling...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> John begins to face his feelings. And James decides to see Thomas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically, this is an AU for a reason, I wanted to have more build up with James and Thomas, but when I was writing this chapter, I ended up like "But wait, no. This version of James is an asshole--Of course he still feels for Thomas, but both of them are very different". Anyway, enjoy!

John felt like shit, he'd spoken to Billy about what happened, without revealing who the MI6 agent really was, then said he was going home, which wasn't true. He needed a drink, just to forget that look James made when he spoke about Thomas...John didn't go to the usual bar, he didn't want anything attaching him to James, not right now; so he found one in town and began putting back drinks.

He wanted to forget even meeting James, how James' hands felt on his skin...How it felt when they kissed; the heat rushing through John's body, his mind only focusing on James-- _Oh fuck_ , he was in deep and now, James had Thomas back. John felt like all of that was shutting down, a wall closing him off from that, "Bad day?"

"The worst," John looked at who spoke to him he didn't recognize the man stood there, but he could tell he was getting drunk too, "You too?"

He nodded, and sat on the stool besides John, "I'm a cop and we've got these new people in. Our captain is kissing ass, it's annoying." He ordered a drink for himself and John.

"Thanks. I'm with this guy, kinda, it's complicated...His ex just showed up in town so now he's distracted and it's made me realise that I probably mean nothing to him." He downed the drink, he didn't eally care that this guy had said he was a cop; as long as he didn't suddenly ask for information then he probably didn't know who John was.

"Tough break, I've had exes ruin relationships before so I know how you feel. I'm Paul."

"John," John smiled, Paul ordered more drinks when the barman came their way, "If you get me too drunk, I won't be able to walk home."

Paul smirked, "Well, I live two minutes away, you could crash at my place," His hand fell to John's thigh, he squeezed softly, "Only sex can erase a broken heart," John wouldn't lie to himself, Paul was attractive and if he wasn't-- _but_ , he **wasn't** , James had never asked to make things official, so he was still a man not comitted to anyone and John did need a good distraction, "And sex doesn't really mean anything."

"You're right," John gripped Paul's thigh, it wasn't going to hurt anyone; John was a grown-up, he could make his own decisions, "Can we go now?" Paul nodded, he took John's hand and let him out of the bar to his apartment. When they got inside, they both kicked off their shoes then Paul practically dragged John to the bedroom; the alchohol was loosing John's usual attitude and all he wanted right now is to be fucked.

He wasn't disappointed when Paul threw him over the bed, quickly getting rid of his pants and boxers, "You have a great ass." Paul's hands felt strangely cold against his skin, then something even colder pressed against his hole, sliding in; John knew it was a finger, slick with lube and he couldn't help but moan at the feeling of Paul stretching him. Another finger joined and John gently rocked his hips, trying to feel more.

"Just fuck me," John breathed, his voice half-muttered by the bed. He heard the familiar noise of a zipper then fabric dropping and the soft tear of a wrapper. John soon felt pressure against his hole; Paul pushed himself in, slowly and gently, he wanted to enjoy this. He grabbed John's hips and began thrusting, "Oh yeah, like that." John hummed beneath Paul, the vibration ran through him and he began picking up his pace.

Paul's hand came down, stroking John's length to match his pace; it had been a while since he'd done thing and he wasn't sure how long he could keep it up for. But the way John moaned, he was probably going to be the same; Paul grunted as he slid all the way in, "I'm gonna have to fuck you again. Your ass is like heaven."

John gasped, groaning against the fabric of the duvet as Paul sped up his thrusts. John wanted to feel release, have that overtake him and drive away every single thought of James.

James still filled John's thoughts despite John wishing to banish them; he couldn't forget how it felt to have James touch him, heat radiating from him, _"You're beautiful, John. I love the way you moan for me,"_ John even remembered his voice, like he was right there, whispering into his ear, _"If you can't hold on, it's okay. I want to see you cum for me."_

John pressed his face into the bed, muffling his groans more; he felt like his brain hated him, filling only with thoughts of James while it was someone else touching him, bringing him to the edge, "Oh, fuck." He bit at the duvet as he toppled over the edge, James name hung in his throat.

"That feels really good," Paul muttered as John clenched with his orgasm, he thrust his hips a few more times and came with a soft grunt. He slowed to a stop then carefully pulled himself from John, "I'm gonna jump in the shower."

John barely nodded, he laid on his back and sighed heavily; the sound of running water from the shower calmed him. He pulled himself up and searched for something to clean himself with; he found wipes in one of the drawers and cleaned himself up before pulling up his boxers and pants.

He felt extremely sober and he didn't want to be here anymore, so he found a pen and paper to leave a note then left. John didn't want to go home though, James might find him there, so he sent a text to Billy asking where he could crash, all he recieved in return was an address so with a shrug, John decided to go there.

When he finally found the right house, he rang the doorbell and was shocked when he saw Billy stood there, "Uh...You didn't tell James, did you?"

"No, come in," Billy stepped aside and let John in, "You can crash on the couch. What's up?"

John sighed, he dropped down on to the couch and rubbed his face, "Didn't he tell you the rest? That MI6 guy is his ex...The one he thought died. And I saw his face, he wants him back. So what am I to him? Just a fuck to keep his mind busy. I wish I could tell him it doesn't work, I've tried that."

"He told me. He's going to speak with Thomas tomorrow," Billy paused, watching John, "You're not only a fuck to him, you might not see it, but the rest of us do. The way he looks at you, he does care. I think, he's just getting caught up in the moment, he hasn't seen Thomas in over ten years. He thought he was dead."

John slowly nodded; he couldn't tell if Billy was being honest, but he doubted that Billy would lie just to try cheer him up. Billy never cared much for him, _the rest of us_ probably meant that some of the other men working for James had noticed too. It hurt John's head to think about it, the after-effects of the alcohol was really beginning to hit him, "Do you have asprin?"

"Yeah. I'll go grab it," Billy left the room momenterally and came back with a pack of asprin and a glass of water "Is that where you've been, at a bar?"

John knocked back a couple of tablets with the water then nodded, "Not my smartest of ideas. Why do you ask?"

"James did ask me where you went, I told him you went home because that's what you told me. I don't know if he's checked."

John shrugged, "I'm still annoyed, so I don't really care."

"Get some rest, you might feel better in the morning," John hummed, "I'll grab you a blanket and some pillows," He left the room again then returned with said items, dumping them in the empty spot next to John; as he was leaving, he stopped for a moment, "James is complicated and he can be a pain. But, when he cares, he _really_ does. Don't take advantage of that just because he pissed you off. You stink of sex, you should get a shower. It's upstairs, first door on the left." He waved a hand then headed off to bed.

John felt more than speechless; he didn't think a shower would help much with no clean clothes to change into, he should have just gone home and if he happened to see James, then he could hurt him too. Despite what Billy had said, he felt like he had every right to be annoyed at James and do something to get back at him...Then again, he nearly ruined what they had once and he didn't want to risk it again. Right now, he just wanted to sleep. He could get a shower in the morning and ask Billy if he could wash his clothes; he pulled off his shirt and jeans then got a comfortable position on the couch, practically wrapping himself in the blanket. The heat surrounding him reminded him of James and his body relaxed, his mind felt at ease and it didn't take him long to drift off.

~ ~ ~ ~

James was being careful, the police station was in sight but he only wanted Thomas to notice him; he watched as cops began filtering out of the station. He watched closely then he spotted Thomas and it felt like his heart had stopped for a moment; he waited until the man Thomas spoke to left then he walked out of the shadows.

The movement caught Thomas' eyeline, and his jaw nearly dropped when he saw James stood there. He felt drawn to him so he made his way over, still careful enough to watch for any vehicles on the road; when they were in touching distance, James smiled, "We should go somewhere quiet."

All Thomas could do was nod, he followed James to a secluded alley-way, they wouldn't be seen here, so it was perfect; when James stopped and turned to Thomas, the smile still on his face, Thomas realised this was wrong, "James--"

"No wait. I want to explain everything to you," James sighed, his smile dropping now, "Miranda and I were informed by Peter that you had died, we grieved for you, she had a garden, we had a memorial for you, replaced the flowers every week. Then, we needed his help so we went to him and Miranda noticed something, from your father. That explains more how we were found out. I couldn't believe it when I heard it was you, I thought it would be a trick. But you're here, you're alive."

Thomas felt blown away by that, so the reason not even Miranda had kept in touch was because they thought he had died. It made sense and Thomas could believe that his father would come up with a story like that, "I'm sorry you had to go through that. When he found out about us, he got me into this... _Reprogramming_ scheme, I played along, got marked as one of the smartest people they'd ever had attending which is when I got approached by MI6 and they recruited me."

"If we'd had know, we wouldn't have left you..." James took a deep breath, "There's something else. When we were speaking to Peter, Miranda got angry with him, she blamed him for your death. One of his men, killed her. I couldn't do anything, I'm so sorry. I wish to this day that I could have protected her."

Thomas swallowed, his mouth felt dry again...Miranda had been killed, this could have all been avoided if it weren't for his father, "It's not your fault. My father put this all into motion, we only have him to blame. Why did you come to see me? It's dangerous."

"Well, I wanted you to join me. We could be an amazing team together, the police would never--"

"No."

"What?" James was shocked now. Didn't Thomas want to be with him? "I thought that you would want a chance to rebuild our lives, honour Miranda's memory."

Thomas looked away, "I do want to honour her. But, MI6 is my life now and I know you're a different person, I can tell. As I said to your sidekick, McGraw would feel disappointment. But you, you want me to join you, break the law...Kill people. That's not who I am. It's my job to get rid of the bad people in the world."

"So we really are enemies now? I understand and I can forgive you, but I won't be able to protect you, I'm sorry." Flint stepped forward and kissed Thomas, it was his way of saying goodbye; he'd always try to keep Thomas safe, but now his intentions were known, Rackham wouldn't stand for it...Thomas would be killed.

Thomas was shocked by the kiss and what James had said; he returned the kiss though, he had missed James lips, despite everything. And if it was true about his father and Peter, then James had never knew Thomas was still alive...He broke the kiss, stepping back, he couldn't do this, "No. We can't."

"Why not? I want you...I still love you. Grieving someone doesn't mean falling out of love, Thomas, I still care."

"You're not the man I fell in love with, not anymore," Thomas held James hands, "And besides, I saw the pictures, you've found someone else. You deserve at least that much happiness in your life."

James froze, _John_ , that's right...Those pictures that they had got on purpose, now they were hitting him in the face. Thomas was right though, they were different people now, time had past and they'd both had to adapt to changes, "John and I aren't really together..."

"I know you and I know that you want to be with him. Even with those bad quality pictures, I could see that much," Thomas smiled even though he wasn't happy, not one bit, "This isn't easy for me either. But we need to let each other go, otherwise we'll always be unhappy."

"Letting you go means letting you die--"

"So be it. I'm the best chance the police have, if I'm lost, they'll be useless. You could buy them out, right?"

James nodded; he didn't want to say goodbye, but it had to be done, it wouldn't get any easier if he continued to wait, "Goodbye Thomas...I'm sorry."

"I forgive you," Thomas let go of James' hand, that sad smile still present on his face, "Goodbye." He watched as James turned and left; he could find some peace in the fact that James would be happy...The shot that killed him, rung out, hitting James deep within him; it was over now, he needed to speak with John and clear things up.

~ ~ ~ ~

Billy had got in contact with John, asking him to come over, he was a little shocked to hear that James hadn't stopped the hit on Thomas; he hadn't said much since he got back, just that it was done and he wanted to speak with John. Billy felt relieved when John showed up in fresh clothes, they had spoke briefly this morning before John vanished again.

"Afternoon," John waved as he walked past, heading into James' office, "What's up?"

James looked up from what he was doing when he heard John's voice, "Come here," John rose a brow, but made his way over to James, "It's over, he's dead. I wanted to apologize."

"What for?"

James shook his head, he knew John was playing dumb, "For how I acted when I found out about Thomas. It was stupid, we had both changed too much...The man I loved died a long time ago and I grieved him, he will _always_ hold a place in my heart. That's why I had hope for him, I was wrong."

"It's okay. I know it wasn't easy for you, he was the love of your life."

James reached out and took John's hand, "Yeah, _was_ \--"

"Sorry, that was insensitive--"

"No, I didn't mean it like that," James pulled John close to him, "I meant, someone else lives in my heart now." He squeezed John's hand; he was never good with words, so he hoped he expressed himself enough and when he was ready, maybe--just maybe, he could say what he felt.

John felt like he could burst, then he deflated, guilt running through him; James watched the emotions on his face, curious as to why he looked like a storm, "I'm so sorry. I was pissed off, I shouldn't have...Billy was right, I was just taking advandage. It's all I know how to do," He rambled, trying to avoid what was rising in his throat, "I let someone... _Touch_ me."

"I don't care, as long as you promise that you're mine now. Only mine." John felt like his ears had betrayed him, he met James' eyes but they only looked determined, so he nodded then James pulled him down for a kiss. It was searing with passion and John didn't want to be anywhere else in this moment, he had missed James.

When James finally pulled away, they were both gasping for breath; John smiled, "Promise to be mine too."

"Why, Mr. Silver. That sounds like a marriage proposal," James pressed a soft kiss to John's lips, "I can agree to being your boyfriend, for now."

"You wanted me to promise first, so it was more like you were asking and I was just courteous enough to return the favour," John grinned, "Isn't that what you wanted?"

James nodded, "If you start being too nice to me, I'll start to think you have ultiror motives," A knock came at the door and John pulled away from James, "What is it?" Both Billy and Ben walked into the room, "Do you have more news?"

"Yes," Billy stepped closer, "The police found Thomas' body, obviously they're putting his death down to the mob, it seems to have given them a push, they're bringing someone else into the fold."

"His name is Mr. Rogers, according to David and he's a, _shoot now, ask questions later_ , type of guy. Seems he had a past run-in with Vane too, so he really wants us gone."

James rolled his eyes, "It's just one thing after another, have David keep a close eye on what's going on. I will speak with Rackham tomorrow, it might be best just to take them all down at once, get rid of the entire problem rather than one person. Ben, see what you can find out from what David has already gave you, speak to Anne about Mr. Rogers, she might know who he is, and Billy, see if there's anyone else on the force that might be willing to side with us. If we are going to take them out, the more people the better."

Both of them nodded and left to get on with their jobs, "Do you think they're fucking? They've been very close lately."

"What? As if that's our business. They can do what they want as long as this problem is dealt with, why do you care?"

John shrugged, he moved closer to James again, "Just curious. If they are, at least Billy might get off your back, I feel like it's all that build-up that makes it seem like he's got a stick up his ass. Then again, he did sleep with Vane."

"How do you know about that?"

"Vane hinted at it when we spoke once. When he gave me the poison, he spoke about taking over your division and he said it would be easy enough to get Billy on his side. He didn't deny they fucked, so you knew too?"

"Billy confessed to me a few days after it had happened, he said he got blind-drunk and woke up in Vane's bed," James chuckled, "He begged me to forgive him and I said we could always use that against Vane."

John looked up at James, "Even though you two weren't friends, you were quite alike, he was going to use it to get Billy against you, get your men to go to him."

"Was it true what you said before about Vane? That he tried it on with you?"

John nodded, "That same day actually, he brought up us fucking, Dufresne's big mouth...And he said if I was so desperate for a fuck, I could go to him, he wanted me to suck him off," He shuddered at the thought, though, thinking back, he wondered how serious Vane was, "So, it wasn't exactly how I told you, but he still needed to go."

"If not...Then what? Would you have finished the job?"

John wasn't sure if he wanted to answer that; he always told himself that he would have, just to get the money and bail...But he hadn't done anything even when Vane was looking over his shoulder, "No, he might have killed me for it, but I don't think I could have. Not at that point...And, I still put that poison in your glass, I had every intention of finishing it there, getting Vane off my back and leaving before anyone even knew who'd killed you."

"You knocked over that glass."

"So I did, which is why I needed Vane gone, I had told him you didn't drink it, left before you could touch it. I told him I would take his other suggestion, of smothering you in your sleep. After I killed Dufresne, I needed to think of some other way of getting him off my back. Sorry I decieved you."

"Seems you're quite good at it though, I can see why it's useful in your line of work. I'm over that now, I think Vane would have been killed eventually, even without you getting involved in all this. It wouldn't have nearly been as fun without your meddling though," James grinned, "Did you actually think about smothering me in my sleep?"

John smirked, "At first, when I got the job. Same for shooting you or stabbing you...But they you--you wormed your way into my head and when I thought about seeing you dying, I couldn't do it anymore. I'm not sure if Vane could tell or if he was just pushing me because he wanted you gone, I believe he was testing me and when you didn't drink that poison, he turned to someone else."

"I'd rather not be in your head, I can't imagine that it's full of rainbows and puppies--"

"Puppies are cute!"

James rolled his eyes, "So you do think about that? Even when you're on a job? Wouldn't it be distracting, what if a cute puppy crossed your mind when you're thinking about killing someone? Would the puppy die too?" James shook his head, _God_ , John knew how to talk and get into his head, "Never-mind that, you know what I meant."

"Oh, it's about what you said...Regarding Thomas," John broached the subject carefully, as if he wasn't trying to scare James, "I promised you, didn't I? Someone else is in your heart," John pointed to himself then placed that hand on his chest, "Someone is in mine too, this is the first time for me, sorry in advance if I screw things up."

James smiled, he kissed John; the fact that he was worried about messing up did show that it really meant something to John and that made James happy, "It's been a long time since I've dated too, so I might screw up just the same."

"Then we can fix the screw ups together. As long as you find out if them two are banging," James chuckled, he wrapped his arms around John's waist and pulled him closer. John grinned, he slid onto James' lap and wrapped his arms around his neck, "Curiosity killed the cat." He smirked and kissed James. James sunk into it, feeling happy for the first time in over ten years...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> John just makes me want to put him into compromising situations...Don't be surprised if I ever write a fic purely about how much of a slut he is, I'm getting ideas.
> 
> Haven't decided yet if Ben and Billy are getting it on. We'll see where my muse takes me :)


	4. Enemies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Woodes Rogers wants to learn more about the mobs, at any cost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's almost like, I only know how to be mean to John...Sorry in advance for what happens in this chapter.

Rogers was more than annoyed, they hadn't gotten a lead on Flint or Rackham in a few weeks, he could tell the police were beginning to lose hope; it seemed like everytime they had a lead, it vanished right in front of their face. He figured someone had to be leaking information, he'd been keeping his eyes peeled to try and find who it could be.

No-one had made him suspicious, he's even got a couple of his own men to watch out for any strange behaviour; if someone on the force was a mole, then they hid their activites well. Rogers wasn't one to let a something like this go, he would chase this mole to the ends of the Earth and break them into two.

Even if it was more than one, he would clean up this force and make sure anyone replacing traitors were made aware that it would **not** be tolerated again; cracking this case was bound to get Rogers a decent promotion. He figured if he could get to the man that had been pictured with Flint on multiple occasions, it would make everything a lot easier; Flint was just like anyone else after all, probably willing to do anything for someone that he was _really_ close to.

~ ~ ~ ~

James was happy with the progress that they were still making despite police interference, they were keeping very close tabs on the police and if this new guy _Woodes Rogers_ was causing too many issues, then they would deal with him. It had only been a couple of weeks since Rogers had too over and David had informed him that he was frustrated with how things were going.

James was busy looking through some of the imformation that David had provided on Woodes, as well as everything the police had on the mobs, that was only a short list; obviously what David had said about the police was true, they seemed very stumped.

The information on Woodes was more interesting, Flint learned that he had known Vane through a previous case he'd worked on involving one _Edward Teach_ ; Vane was Teach's second in command before he'd clearly had enough of playing around and left to go at in on his own. Woodes had killed Teach, so it seemed that the initial information that David had gave about Woodes killing on-site was true.

James was just finishing up reading about the case with Teach when he heard the door open, he lifted his head, raising a brow at Billy's presence, "Can I help?"

"There's been a development," Billy was interrupted by Ben rushing into the room, handing a disk to James, "There's a letter too, but you should watch that."

James furrowed his brows, regardless, he booted up his computer and inserted the disk; it took a minute to load in and James played it when he got the option to. The video was grainy but he could clearly see John, strapped to a chair, _"Tell me about Flint,"_ , the voice was strong, almost too strong, betraying the quality of the video, _"I know who you are, Soloman Little,"_ John looked up at that name, his eyes glaring at someone behind the camera, _"And you will **break."**_ The video cut off then and James felt breathless, how had this slipped past them? How was someone able to get a-hold of John? The name _Soloman Little_ was really bothering James too...He remembered John mentioning that he used a fake name on the dark web, but which one was fake, Soloman or John?

"We've got the best people looking into it," Ben spoke up, "David was clueless about it, we don't know how Rogers kept this hidden."

James hit the table, Ben jumped and Billy gently held Ben's arm reassuring him, "This _shit_ , if this is Rogers, I want him dead," He looked up, venom clear in his eyes, "Get Rackham here, immediately. He can help," James paused, almost glaring at Billy, "You two are not allowed to fuck until John is back. Get out."

Billy led Ben out of the room, Ben felt extremely confused, him and Billy hadn't even touched each other; what made James think they had? "Don't worry about him, he's not mad at us. I'll go get in touch with Rackham, go take a break if you need to. Ignore what he says, he's just annoyed at Rogers."

"Okay." Ben didn't know what else to say, he watched Billy disappear and found himself staring; of course Billy was attractive, but Ben had _never_ even thought about anything like that with Billy...Until James mentioned it, now he couldn't get it out of his head...

\- - - -

Paul felt uncomfortable, he was barely picking at his plate, curious as to why he was here, "Paul, please, don't be nervous. I just wanted to thank you," Now he was confused, why would Woodes want to thank _him_ , "Since you talked about sleeping with _John_ , I managed to get a lead on him, he goes to that bar where you met on occasion, probably to get some space. I've been interviewing him, all held in a secure location set up by MI6."

"Oh, I'm glad I could be of help." He felt a bit better now, he'd expected to be getting chewed out by Woodes, he began eating more, settling down.

Woodes took a drink, "I understand that you didn't really know who he was when you stupidly slept with him," _Oh_ , it **was** like that then, "I don't blame you, he's got quite a slippery tongue, and he is attractive. Sorry if I seem testy with you, I don't mean to be. Having learned there's a mole--"

"I'm not, I didn't tell him anything about the case. We fucked and he left, I only got his first name too. If I had know--"

Woodes practically slammed his glass down onto the table, Paul jumped where he was sat, "Thank you for interrupting me. I know it's not you, the mole wouldn't be stupid enough to go and sleep with one of the people he was giving information to, then it would be too easy to find who it is," He paused, staring Paul down, "If I ever find out that you ever associate with our enemies again, I'll kill you myself." Now Paul was speechless, his mouth felt dry, he nodded quickly, Woodes seemed to be waiting for some kind of response because after Paul nodded, he stood and left. He took a deep breath and pushed his plate away, he hunger had completely vanished now.

~ ~ ~ ~

"Do you want to talk yet?" John spat on the shoes in front of him and raised his head in defiance, "I'll take that as a no, then." Woodes rose the cane in his hand and struck John across his back, "You will break, Mr. Little."

John spat at Rogers' shoes again, "My name is John Silver, get it fucking right."

That earned him a hard punch to his stomach, he heard Rogers chuckle darkly, "I'm not afraid of getting my hands dirty, you should probably start talking before I go too far and end your life," There was a pause and John looked up, "Just tell me where I can find Flint and it will all be over."

"You won't need to find him, he will find you. And you will regret taking me."

Rogers rose a brow, amused by what John was saying, "I guess we'll see about that, maybe I'll keep you alive until I kill Flint." He hit John hard across the face, a dark smirk adorning his features.

\- - - -

James was angry, they were no closer to finding John and it had been a few days. He was on the verge of approaching Rogers himself and strangling him for what he had done; James didn't realise just how strongly he felt towards John until this moment. He couldn't hold him, breath in his scent and it was killing him.

The door slammed open and James raised his head, Billy rushed in, a smile on his face, "We've got a lead. David has been getting close to someone else on the force, to increase our influence, this guy called Paul got threatened by Rogers, so he kept tabs on him and he's found that Rogers keeps going to the same abandoned building, John might be there."

"What are we waiting for?" James shot up out of his seat, "I'm going to kill him myself."

Billy nodded, heading out with James, "Ben has gone to inform Rackham, they should be heading out too. I did tell Ben to tell Rackham you would want to kill Rogers if he's there."

"If he's not, I'll chase him down." James was determined now, he would get John back at any cost and he would make Rogers suffer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger :o


	5. A Rat and A New Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flint's anger starts to come to a head. Meanwhile, Silver gets an unexpected helping hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, welcome to Chapter 5, AKA John Silver's name.

James was furious, he wanted to get his hands on someone--anyone, the scowl wouldn't leave his face and he barely even moved when the door opened and Billy dumped David unceremoniously onto the floor, "What's going on?"

"Shut up," That tone in James' voice even made Billy step back in shock, "Your lead turned up nothing, John is still missing."

"What? But I told you where Rogers went--"

Now James moved, quicker than Billy had ever seen, his had was around David's throat, "If we don't find him alive, I'm going to kill you myself," He turned his gaze to Billy, "Have someone watch him, if we find out he's helping Rogers in _any_ way, if he is, I want him dead."

"Of course," Billy pulled David up off the floor, pushing him out of the room; he watched James as he sighed and sat back down, "John will be fine. He can take care of himself."

"I know," James rubbed his hands over his face, "We just have to wait."

\- - - -

John had faith in James to find him, but he was battered and bruised, his hope dwindiling; when he heard the door open, he flinched. He wouldn't give up James, he'd die protecting him, it was almost like a lifetime ago when he would have happily killed James but now, everything was different, "Don't make a sound."

It wasn't the voice John was used to hearing and he was surprised, his arms fell loose from the chair, then the blindfold was removed, "Who..." His voice was broken, quiet and he hated it, but he needed to know, "Who are you?" He kept his voice low, obviously not wanting to attract any attention to his saviour.

"Israel Hands." He helped John up, watching as he winced.

John had never heard that name before, "You work for Flint?" He shook his head, "Rackham, or Vane?" Again, a shake of the head, "Rogers?"

"No, I work for myself. I've heard about you though, I've been watching Rogers, he's a git, I wanted to help you."

John was confused, this man must have some motive, "What do you want?"

"I'd be happy if you killed someone for me. But I wouldn't expect anything. Let's go, before someone notices." Israel helped John leave, John squinted when they got outside and once his eyes adjusted, he realised he didn't recognise this place at all. Israel was hurrying him along, John assumed he knew what he was doing, so he followed along.

When they finally got into familiar territority, John's heart raced, thinking about James; he began to walk on his own, almost stumbling over when Israel managed to grab him, "Dammit..." He wanted to do this to Rogers, make him suffer and then kill him, "I need to see James."

"Lead the way, I'll keep you safe," So John did, and when he saw James' bulding, he almost collapsed out of pure relief; someone he didn't reconise stood in their way once they entered the building, Israel instantly went to defending him, "Move, or I'll make you move."

John would have laughed at the look on the man's face, had he not been in so much pain, "What's going on here?" The second voice made John grin, "Who are you?"

"John Silver," He poked his head from behind Israel, "Hi, Billy."

Billy was shoked, but glad, he turned to the man, "Go get Flint, now." He skittered off, clearly not wanting to piss off Billy, "John, how?"

"Israel," John hinted to the man protecting him, Israel stepped to the side, still keeping a steady grip on John, "He helped me."

Before John could say more, he saw James rushing towards them, and his face lit up; he would run into James' arms if he knew he could and wouldn't fall the moment Israel let him go. So he waited until James was close enough then threw himself into his arms, burying his head into his shoulder, "I missed you," James' voice was quiet, but John was just happy to hear his voice again; he pulled away to look at his face and saw him eyeing Israel, "I'm glad you're safe," His eyes trailed back to John, his mouth curling into a smile, "What happened?"

"I was careless. Rogers took me himself, beat me. He wanted to know where you were, I couldn't give you up though. I _wouldn't_. Then, Israel helped me, he got me out of there. Rogers probably knows by now, he'll come for us."

James looked over at Israel again, "Will you help us, against Rogers?"

"Yes, but I don't work for you, I won't let you push me around."

James shrugged, "You helped John, I owe you. So you can do what you want, as long as Rogers ends up dead." Israel nodded, James turned back to John, taking in the extent of his injuries, he ended up frowning.

"I'm fine," John reached up, rubbing James' cheeks, "Lets go, please," The plea in John's eyes was clear, James led him up to his office room; so much had happened here, he nearly died, John saved his life. He couldn't even protect John, someone else had to do it for him, he wasn't sure how much to trust Israel, but he'd helped John when James couldn't. They sat together on the couch in the corner of the room, "Did I win yet?"

James furrowed his brows, "What?"

"Billy and Ben, any proof that they're fucking yet?"

James couldn't help but laugh, he kissed John, smiling against his lips, "I love you, you fucking idiot. You get out of a God-awful situation and the first thing you want to know is _that_?" John smiled too, he couldn't help himself, James' reaction was priceless, "I wouldn't count on it, Billy looked extremely offended when I suggested that they were."

"Dammit, I'm usually right with these things. They have some major unresolved sexual tension though."

James shook his head and kissed John again, deeper this time, pushing every missed day into it; John responded with just as much passion, he had missed James. When James broke the kiss for breath, he suddenly remembered the video that Rogers had sent them, his curiosity peaked, "He sent me a video...When you first went missing. In the video, he used a different name, Soloman Little."

"That's the name I use on the dark web, he seemed to think it was my real name, but I'm not that stupid. The only reason Vane knew me as John Silver is because someone else told him about me," John paused, "My name is Ionatán Silver, it's Irish for Jonothan, so I just use John."

James seemed a little shocked by that, but he was glad that John was being so open with him, "Ionatán...It's a nice name. Irish? I didn't know that about you."

"My father was Irish, he insisted on it. John is easier, and I like the way you say it." John kissed James again, he didn't care what James wanted to call him, he was happy regardless. Any time James called out to him, it was like heaven.

~ ~ ~ ~

Rogers threw the chair across the room, "How did this happen? No one was supposed to know where he was!" He grabbed David by the throat and held him against the wall, "You were supposed to be distracting them!"

"I was!" David struggled against Rogers' grip, "Flint even threatened to kill me today, because I wasn't giving them information, said if I was seen helping you, then I deserved it."

Rogers glared, but David didn't seem to be saying what he was out of fear so he dropped his hold, "Fuck! Now what?" He paced the room, trying to think of what to do; Silver was steadfast and he hadn't gave up much information about Flint. And what he could get from David just wasn't enough, he needed this to end now. He couldn't have Flint getting away when he was so close...He couldn't think, not with David stood there staring at him, "Get out." David nodded, rushing to leave the room, he didn't get far outside the door when a shot rang out and his body fell to the floor.

Rogers was even more furious, whoever got Silver out of here had given up the location; he knew he couldn't leave the same way that David had left. He was always over-prepared though, of course he had another way out. He pulled away the shelf in the corner then opened the hidden hatch and jumped down, he hated having to sneak away like this. But he couldn't lose to them _monsters_. He really hated how... _Weak_ they were making him feel. He was **never** backed into a corner like this, he was always the one who was hunting, not hunted. The thrill of that seemed more exhilarating somehow, at least Flint was making him work for this victory, it would taste even more sweeter when he could put Flint under his boot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long to finish, I had some major writers block. Which was apparently cured the moment I got the [Soulmate AU](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15262569) out of my head :'')
> 
>  _Title:_ "Rat" for David, the filthy liar! "Friend" for Israel, who's motives aren't clear, but he's helped John at least.
> 
> More coming soon!
> 
> This is like 90% edited, it's almost 2am for me, so apologies for any errors. I'll be editing more after sleep :)


	6. Victory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Silver and Flint spend some quality time together before the final battle against Rogers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished rewatching Black Sails and I need help, this pairing kills me.
> 
> This update feels late. I'd say sorry, but I was away on holiday for a few days with my boyfriend :)

It had been a few weeks since John had returned to James; they'd been completely over-planning how they would deal with Rogers. Making sure that everything ewas going to go smoothly against him, they couldn't possibly risk having Rogers defeat them when they were so close to defeating him. John and Israel were going to be a first-hand distraction, James had tried to oppose the decision but John hadn't allowed it. He wanted to help win this, he wanted to kill Rogers himself; but James was dead-certain on allowing John to be a distraction and not get anywhere near Rogers.

So John would help set it up, if it was the closest he could get. At the moment, James and John were cuddling in James bed, trying to relax before the it all came to a head tomorrow; it all hung on this moment. James shifted below John and spoke, "Be safe, tomorrow," It seemed that James had been thinking about it just like John had, "We can win this."

"I know," John rubbed his nose into James' neck, "You stay safe too, you'll be closer to him," _And I can't lose you._ John left that thought unsaid but he didn't need to; he knew that James would be thinking the same, tomorrow was a big day. Right now, he wanted to think about something else, the problems with Rogers could wait until tomorrow. John pressed himself to James, his hand roaming downward to James' pants; he grabbed the length through the fabric, and pressed his lips to James' neck, "I can think of something more fun to do,"

The rush of air against James skin made his hair stand on end, he was about to speak when John put a leg over him and moved his hips against his leg, he could feel the stiffness in John's pants; his own member reacted to the feeling, hardening under John's hand. John smiled, his grip tightened and he moved his hand slowly up and down; James gasped, he moved his arm further around John and grabbed his ass. John gasped at the initial feeling, he soon wriggled against the touch, enjoying how James tightened his grip. John's own grip tightened, he flattened his palm against James' length and rubbed his hand over James' hardening length, "Tell me how much you want to fuck me." His voice was quiet and heavy with lust.

"John," James gasped, the way John was already touching him made his nerves feel like they were on fire; he threw his other arm over John and grabbed him tightly then pulled him ontop of him, "I want to fuck you more than anything right now, and I'll have you screaming for me."

John almost moaned at that, he rocked his hips, creating friction between their bodies, their lengths rubbing together and even through fabric, it felt amazing. James' grip tightened again and he flipped them over, he pressed against John and kissed him, John smirked into the kiss, bucking his hips up to create the same friction that they had before. James' hands moved quicker than John had ever seen, he held down John's hips, and broke the kiss, "What?" John smiled, as innocently as he could manage.

"You know exactly what you're doing, you _shit_ ," James growled, he moved his hands along to the zipper of John's pants, quickly undoing them and pulling them free from his frame, "Don't move," The tone of James' voice caused a shiver to run down his spine, he laid still, watching as James got the lube and a condom out of the bedside table. James squired some of the lube onto his fingers, he shuffled close to John and pressed his fingers against his hole. He slowly massaged the muscles, enjoying how John squirmed against his fingers, " _John_." John almost moaned at the sterness in James' voice; he relaxed against James' fingers, gasping when one slid in.

James stretched the muscles, trying to ignore how John's groans went straight to his groin, he slid the second finger in and streched the muscles further. Once he felt John was loose enough and couldn't stand how his groans were driving him insane; he unfastened his own trousers, "Leave them on." John's voice sounded like it was a million miles away, James looked up at his face, he'd turned to the side, half pressed into the pillow. John looked completely undone, his hair sprawelled out; James tugged his pants down, along with his boxers, he quickly unwrapped the condom and rolled it onto his length, applying a generous amount of lube before pressing against John.

John let out a sigh, he pushed himself against James, waiting for the pressure of his length. James could have groaned at how desperate John was, he slowly pushed himself in, the heat and tightness making him close his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, John was looking at him, his lips parted slightly, his breathing shallow and slow; James gripped John's hips and moved his own, creating one swift thrusting motion. John groaned out, his hand gripping the bed-sheets; James thrust again, grunting lowly as John groaned beneath him, his gaze not wavering.

James built up a steady rhythm, his hands sliding down to John's thighs; his fingers traced circles at the top of the prosthetic on John's left leg, gentle and slow. John closed his eyes at the sensation, James had barely started, but he was ready to explode, the way James touched him made him feel like he'd soared to heaven and back. He rolled his hips against James' thrusts, the quick motion caused James' hand to slide back up his thigh; away from where James' touch made him feel vulnerable. James' fingers settled against John's hip bone, he quickened his thrusts, "Look at me." John opened his eyes again, almost gasping at the flurry of motions in James' eyes, he brought his hands up and gripped at James' shoulders, the movement pulling them closer together; John rolled his hips in time with James' thrusts, the movement making him groan.

James' breath was low against his forehead, stuttering with each of his movements, his groans low in his neck. John wanted to bask in this moment forever, the feel of James pressing against him, pleasure rippling through his body; he could hear himself gasping, holding onto James like an anchor. His own groans seemed to richocet off the walls, "James." The warmth of James' hand curled around his length, jerking him to the rhythm of his thrusts; John could feel his climax reaching breaking point. He held steadfast, a shuddering gasp leaving his lips when he exploded over his chest; James thrust himself and John felt like his groan was a millon miles away, his hips juttering to a stop.

John wanted to sob, he didn't know why; instead, he claimed James' lips with his own, the comfort relaxed him. James slowly pulled away, he kissed John's forehead then carefully pulled his length free; he put the used condom in the bin and retrieved a cloth from the bathroom, using it to clean John down. He tossed that into the bin too and laid down beside John; he rolled onto him, pressing his head into his chest, James smiled at the motion, his arm wrapping aroung John's back.

As John lay against James' chest, a warm puff of air fluttered against his skin and James swore that John muttered something. He _knew_ what it was, so he leaned down to kiss John's hair, his response whispered into the mess of curls. John hadn't said it yet, and it made James happy to know that he truly felt the same, even if it was only a mumble. He closed his eyes, thinking of how it would sound when John said it with confidence...

~ ~ ~ ~ 

Billy felt slightly uncomfortable, James had deemed it somehow necessary to team him with Ben; others were there too, but after what James had said to him before John had been brought back safely. He'd found his eyes straying each time he was near Ben. _He couldn't mess this up_. He'd known how much this moment had been planned, to take down Rogers and weed out any of his followers, if they could control the police, then this town was theirs.

"Billy?" He looked up at the sound of Ben's voice, "Everything okay? You ready?"

The others were far enough ahead of them to not hear what was being said, Billy nodded, the words were stuck in his throat. Ben's accent was beginning to drive him insane; Ben seemed perfectly fine, like what James had said just rolled right off him, "I'm good to go. Just running it my head one last time. Do you think they're ready?"

"Yeah, I know Flint is unsure about John but I think he wants to get his hands on Rogers more than anyone," Ben was sure at that, after how Rogers had treat him; he couldn't stop glancing at Billy, he'd still not pushed out what Flint had assummed of the two. He grabbed Billy's arm, stopping him for a moment, "About what Flint said before...Regarding us--"

"I told you, ignore him. He was venting," Ben slowly nodded, he didn't want to ignore it though; he wanted to know _why_ James had thought that. Did Ben show how he was attracted to Billy? Or was it Billy? "If it's worrying you, we can talk about it properly later. I'll see if John knows anything."

He swallowed, if he didn't speak up now, he never would, "I don't want their opinion," He dropped his hand, slightly frustrated, "We need to move." Ben began walking off, leaving Billy confused, watching him for a moment. He rushed after him, this time he grabbed Ben's arm, stopping him in his tracks; without really thinking, he leaned down and kissed him.

"I don't care what they have to say," Billy breathed against Ben's lips, "I care what you say. Just, don't tell me I'm imagining what's between us."

Ben swallowed, he licked his lips, tempted by how close Billy's were, "You're not, I haven't stopped thinking about you since Flint mentioned it."

"Good. For now, we need to focus," Billy kissed Ben again, reluctantly pulling away, "We can continue this later." Ben nodded, far too quickly for his own liking but he didn't care. Billy smiled, then began walking after the rest of their team, knowing that Ben would be right by his side.

~ ~ ~ ~

James paced in front of Rogers, tied up at his feet, "John will be here soon. You'll pay for what you did to him."

"You've got past all his lies then?"

James laughed, "I know exactly who he is, and I love him regardless. I'll watch you suffer." The sneer was very clear on James' face, he would watch Rogers' burn alive if it was what John wanted. He saw Israel first before John came into view, anger clear on his face, they approached and John stood beside him, staring down at Rogers.

"Oh, hello again Mr. Little."

John rolled his eyes, he kicked Rogers in the face, watching him fall to the floor, "How many times do I have to tell you? My name is John Silver, you can't take that away from me."

"If you say so," Rogers was grinning, John didn't like it at all, he wanted to hit him again, "But I might know more than you think," John kicked him in the stomach, feeling pleased as he spat out some blood; his eyes seemed to stray away from John and he only felt more frustrated, "Like how you were born in Limerick, Ireland. Your mother is Eileen Little, father only known as Edward, walked out before you were born--"

John kicked him again, leaning closer to him, "You're a piece of shit."

"You know I'm right."

John punched him at that quiet retort; he stood up and walked away, turning to James, "Just kill him. I've had enough." He had to walk away, before he did something stupid; it wasn't fair for Rogers to be spewing his life story. Especially not in front of James, he could feel Israel trailing him and he was glad he at least hadn't said anything about the exchange.

James pulled out a gun, staring Rogers down, "As if it's your place to say anything about John's life."

"You sound like you believe it, so I suppose I'll let you ask him all about it. My favourite part was that his mother put up with him for a whole two years before he was dumped on the steps of an orphanage."

James glared at Rogers, he cocked the gun and shot him in the temple, "I don't care," He also didn't care that Rogers was already dead, blood pooling around his skull. He turned to Billy who was stood where he wouldn't have heard the conversation, he stepped closer to him then spoke, "Please deal with the body." He then headed off to find John.

\- - - -

James found John sitting in his office, "Hey. He's dead, Billy is taking care of the body."

"Good," James sat next to John and held him close, "Now we can get on with our life." He leaned up and kissed James, they melted into each others lips; John mostly wanted to avoid any questions that James would ask him regarding what Rogers had said.

When James finally broke the kiss to breathe, John was waiting to see what James was going to say, "I don't care about him, he's gone now. He had no right to snoop into your life. Whenever you want to talk, anything you want to say, I'll listen. Don't feel forced because of him, if you don't want to say anything else at all, I love you anyway. Nothing will change that now."

John felt completely speechless, he pressed a quick kiss to James' lips again, then spoke, "I love you too," Saying it made him feel a little breathless, but he wanted to, he knew James had understood it without it being said. But now felt right, with Rogers gone, they wouldn't have anyone standing in their way, "He was telling the truth, but once I was old enough to understand why I was in an orphanage, I became John Silver. He was wrong about my first name, I was born as Ionatán Little. I've always been John Silver. I don't know my father and I don't care to."

"I'm so happy that you're being honest with me, anything you're uncomfortable sharing, just feel comfortable first," James ran his fingers through John's curls, "I've known you as a someone who I care deeply about and that's the person I want to continue to know."

John smiled, his chest filled with the joy of it all, he couldn't quite believe what was coming out of James' mouth, "I really do love you."

"I know, I love you. I love hearing you say it." This time, James kissed John, thinking of their future made him giddy; he wanted to stay by John's side and have John with him, until the very end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, Billy/Ben have such an interesting dynamic, Ben saves Billy and then vice-versa, watch out for these two appearing in some fics I write at some point. I feel like they're bound to worm their way into my head again.
> 
> Additional shout-out to whoever gave the prompt #239 on [Black Sails Kink Meme](https://blacksailskinkmeme.tumblr.com/) over on Tumblr, for inspiring me to have Edward Teach as Silver's father.
> 
> [Reference I use for names](https://www.behindthename.com/names/gender/unisex/usage/irish).
> 
> And with this, it's the end of the series. I really enjoyed writing this one, next it's time for my [Soulmate AU](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15262569)!

**Author's Note:**

> To all those who have began reading this piece, you will have noticed I didn't list Mr. Hamilton as a character. I wanted to keep this as a surprise. So, I'll be adding it when I post the second chapter.


End file.
